Monday, November 5, 2018

Exorcisms seem to be a popular topic on witch shows of late. We start the fourth episode of the season with the Charmed One still harboring the Harbinger demon stuck in the body of their friend Angela. We learn that six month back that Marisol (their now dead mother) was working with Angela to press sexual harassment charges against a male professor (the same from episode 1).
She gets depressed and tries to OD and ends up in a coma. Here she is easy pickings for the Harbinger demon.

This is also when the Charmed Ones meet their first Elder. Now Elders in the Original Series were powerful Whitelighters. In this series, we meet Charity who seems to be a living witch. She is the CEO of a non-profit organization to help women in developing countries. Yes, Charmed is still wearing their politics on their sleeve. But saying this is far more than just "fan service" it established two essential plot points. 1. Elders are living witches, not powerful Whitelighters and 2. that this is someone the girls would trust. We also learn through Charity that Marisol was an Elder or Senior Witch; "the same thing" according to Harry.
Charity's plan is to kill the demon and thus Angela. This doesn't sit well with Mel, who pushed Angela to press the charges; she feels responsible. Eventually, Mel discovers that Angela is alive and trapped in her own body.
Mel convinces Maggie, Macy and eventually even Harry that Angela can be saved. They discover a new spell, one that had been hidden but only revealed till all three girls agreed to try, in the Book of Shadows. It is a witch exorcism spell based, according to Harry, on Santariea. All I know is that Mel sounds great speaking Spanish.
Again, I won't be spoilery with the ending, but not everyone makes it out alive.

What is New for this Series?
The Book of Shadows has a "search feature" not sure if I like this or not.
Elders are living, senior witches, and someone/thing is killing them
Demons look cooler.
Marisol was an Elder.

Elders in Your Game
Last week I gave you all Exorcism and Vanquishing spells so no need to go over that again.
But I do want to investigate this idea of Elders in the game. Now if this were 3rd Edition/Pathfinder we were talking about then an Elder would be a Prestige Class for a witch. Much like my Imbolc Mage Prestige Class.

For OSR style games I would just make some sort of social structure. Something like the Witenagemot of 7th century England. This "Council of the Wise" in many ways typifies what I think the Elders should be about. J.K. Rowling used this idea for her "Wizengamot" of her world.
In my world, I supposed I could call it a "Wiccegemot" or "Council of Witches (Wicce)".
What would they do? What powers would they have? I would like to think that representatives of the major covens and traditions would be here. Maybe this is the council that my Witch Queens are on that meet once every seven years. Or thirteen years, can't remember right now. Looked it up, it's 13 years.

I would say there are special ritual spells that only can be cast by the Wiccegemot. Powerful spells. Earth, or even Plane, altering spells.
I am also likely to give them access to secret spells of lower levels, just ones they don't widely share.

Monday, October 29, 2018

It's a Charmed Halloween and we get a few more bits of Charmed lore. First Maggie needs to win big with her sorority so she throws a party in the Vera Manor (which looks really big on the inside) and uses a Glamour spell to make the Halloween decorations extra special. We learn from Harry that such uses of magic have consequences. In the original series, the Charmed Ones could not use magic for personal gain as well, but the consequences were usually more immediate and pronounced. in the new series Maggie has her magic spaz out on her.

Mel really wants to tell her girlfriend she is a witch. We learn that Mel was always accepted as gay by her mother so she was never "in the closet" now having to hide that she is a witch is killing her. She has also mastered some sort of spell akin to Eldritch Blast or Fireball that is dangerous to everyone around her when she casts.

Macy has to reveal a secret of her own. The demon of the week, the Harbinger, feeds on virgin blood. So far she has eaten a Nun, a girl in charge of the "Purity Patrol", and a right-wing podcasting incel (ok, so two human and a community service kill). While trying to cast a protection circle around the house they discover the demon is inside. So to lure it out they need virgin blood. Macy steps up as a potential source (we have seen Maggie and Mel already have sex). Macy claims she never got around to it.

The Elders still seem to be about as useless as always, but we learn that Harry had another witch he was protecting but she told someone she was a witch and ended up in a mental asylum. He feels it is an honor to be able to serve the Charmed Ones.

The title comes from the notion that this demon can't digest sugar. More of Macy's "there is science in this magic stuff."

I love how both Maggie and Macy commented on their mother's collection of hebs and candles and say how could the girls not known she was a witch?

--
Over on Netflix (though it has a solid CW feel thanks to having Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Greg Berlanti as producers) we are getting The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which is soooo good. I am not going to get into it that much right now (have a post for later in the week) but I do want to comment on the Charmed connection.

In Episode 6 Sabrina wants to hold an exorcism of another's character's uncle (yes I am trying to avoid spoilers). The episode is very, very reminiscent of The Exorcist, what was completely intentional. We learn through that witches (at least these witches) can't and are not allowed to perform exorcisms. Indeed even going through my own database of spells I don't have exorcism on the list. As it turns out Sabrina's father had worked one out that does not rely on the power of the Catholic Church or the Christian God.
And it sounds really, really, really similar in tone to the Vanquishing ritual the Charmed Ones used to destroy the Source of All Evil and later Cole.

In every instance (I could not find a video for Sabrina) the witches gather and call upon the power of other witches to aid to defeat an evil. In Charmed it is the witches of their family starting with Pru, their mother, grams and working backward. In Sabrina, they invoke the names of Lilith, Aradia, Diana, Marie Laveau among many others. I'll go back and rewatch it for all the names, it's like a witch's who's who.

How would this work in your games?
The spell has similar features to the Clerical/Divine Exoricsm and the Arcane Banish.

BanishmentLevel: Cleric 6Range: Creatures within visual rangeDuration: Instantaneous
A banishment spell is a more powerful version of the dismissal spell. It enables the cleric to force extraplanar creatures out of their home plane. As many as 2 Hit Dice of creatures per caster level can be banished. The cleric can improve the spell's chance of success by presenting at least one object or substance that the target hates, fears, or otherwise opposes. For each such object or substance, the cleric gains a +2 bonus vs the creature’s saving throws. Note: a holy symbol is always assumed and does not add to the saving throw adjustment. For example, if the creature’s save is 13 and the cleric presents the appropriate symbols, say such a bell or candle then the creature’s save is now 15. Spell resistance (if applicable) is reduced by 5% per item.
Certain rare items might work twice as well as a normal item for the purpose of the bonuses each providing a +10% bonus against Spell Resistance and increasing the save by 3 or 4 depending on the Game Master. Such rare items could be the relic of a Saint that opposed these creatures, an ancient weapon forged to destroy them or even a special time of day.
Any creature failing to save is sent back to the realms from which they came.Material Components: At minimum a holy symbol and prayer book. Other items can be added.

VanquishLevel: Witch Ritual 8Range: One Creature within visual rangeDuration: Instantaneous
This ritual doesn’t just banish an extra-planar creature, it destroys it. However, to use this spell requires three or more witches to cast and even more witches to power. Three or more witches will cast the spell focusing all their attention on the creature to be vanquished. The gathered witches now must call upon their ancestors, past witches of their coven or the names of powerful patrons to lend support to vanquishing of this creature.
Each witch beyond three adds a +2 bonus to the spell vs. a Saving throw (and +5% against any roll to overcome magic resistance, if used).
Certain rare items might work twice as well as a normal item for the purpose of the bonuses each providing a +10% bonus against Spell Resistance and increasing the save by 3 or 4 depending on the Game Master. Such rare items could be the relic of a witch that opposed these creatures, an ancient weapon forged to destroy them or even a special time of day or place.
If the creature fails the save they are dead and no resurrection can bring them back.
Any creature failing to save is sent back to the realms from which they came.Material Components: At the minimum the witch’s ritual tool and the names of the witches they are calling upon for power. Other items can be added.

Monday, October 22, 2018

Last night's Charmed episode felt like a "proper" Charmed episode in tone, but not one we would have ever seen on the Original Series.

The girls, still grieving for their lost mother are also dealing with new sister issues. While in the original series it took Piper a while to really accept Paige as her sister, since her and Prue were so close, here we see Mel as the one more reluctant to "replace" her mother with Macy. Maggie, the empath, is the one that acts as the bridge much the same way Phoebe did.

Of course Original Charmed would not have used Grams or Patty in the same way they used Marisol here. And in the case of Prue they really couldn't have done it nor I think would they have tried. In this way, the New Charmed ups their horror game a little. These are demons and they will play dirty; no one is off limits.

We also get some very-Charmed like shenanigans of the truth potion getting mixed up and Maggie hearing every thought whether she wants too or not.

Also, the plot here of not trusting the Whitelighter is something you not have seen in Charmed before. Leo was immediately trustable. Plus I don't see Harry falling in love with any of the Charmed ones anytime soon.

I would call this one a step up from last week, though last week was still a good showing. Last week's was Macy's spotlight (though all the girls shined) and this week was Maggie.

Next week look downright scary!

RPG Applications
I figure if I am going to do Charmed reviews each week I might find something in every episode to use in my games. Here are a few things I was working on.

Veritas (Truth Spell)Level: Witch 1Range: Touch*Duration: 1 hour per level
By means of this spell anyone touched by the witch will be forced to speak nothing but the truth for the duration of the spell.
Material Components: The south facing bark of a willow tree, the pin feathers of a migratory bird, and the moss from the north side of a stone.

Spirit Boards
These boards, sometimes known as spirit boards, witch borads, or even Yes/No or Yes/Yes boards, are used to contact the spirits of those departed. Using one a witch or other spellcaster gains a 5% or +1 to any roll that may be required or -1 or -5% on any roll used to oppose the contact.
There is always a chance that a trickster demon known as an Imposter will answer the call instead.

Trickster Demon, Imposter
Hit Dice: 3
Armor Class: 8 [11]
Attacks: 2 claw (2x1d4)
Saving Throw: 15
Special: unique kill, +1 better to hit.
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Number Encountered: 1
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240
Trickster demons are notoriously chaotic and never appear the same way twice. Imposters though are Tricksters that appear as a recently passed loved one. Despite how they may look they are not undead. These demons usually find ways into our world via spirit boards. (Trickster Demons that attach themselves to spirits coming through are known as Travellers.)
These demons are immune to all non-magical weapons. The only way to permanently destroy these demons is to reduce them to 0 hp and then show them their own reflection.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Rhoda and McCloud have a murderous daughter in this 1982 made for TV Aaron Spelling movie that surprisingly holds up well.

The late 70s and early 80s were a great time for some really spooky made for TV movies. At least that is my memory of things. Well if you grew up in the 80s and had brothers or sisters then this movie most certainly freaked you out.

Phillip and Laura just lost their daughter Jennifer and have moved to LA (because that is where Spelling is) with their remaining children Mary and Kevin. Mary keeps hearing her dead sister but no one believes her. That is till the killings start.

Now I watched this back in the day and at the time I loved the fact that the mystery could go one of two ways. Either really a ghost or everything was a product of Mary's psychosis. As a teen just discovering psychology I thought that was great.

Of course, now, the punch is a little less. Not just due to seeing it before but also time. Though I was surprised by how well the movie holds up to now. Re-film this in modern LA and not change a bit of dialog...ok there are some changes that would have to be done...but otherwise it would still work.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Last night the new Charmed appeared on our screens here in America (not sure when you are getting it overseas) and I thought it might be nice to talk about it. So let's get to it!

Fair Warning 1: This review/overview will contain some spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled, avoid this post.Fair Warning 2: If you thought Supergirl wore their politics on their sleeve...buckle up buttercup because Charmed wears their politics like a battle armor.Fair Warning 3: I loved Charmed (1998). It is one of my favorite all-time shows and I will fight anyone in my claim it was better than Buffy. So that is the point of view I come from. So any show named Charmed has to fight that uphill battle for me.

The new Charmed takes place in Hilltowne (aka "Helltown") a college town in Michigan. Ok, I like the move to the Mid-west already. Also setting it in a college town gives them access to a wide variety of plots. Already all the women of the new Charmed are associated with the College.

The show begins with sisters Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffery) living with their mother Marisol (Valerie Cruz). Now Mel and Maggie look and act every bit like sisters, so kudos on the casting there. Marisol is a professor of Women's Studies at Hilltowne College and currently leading the charge in a sexual harassment case against another professor.

With the girls out, Marisol begins to feel a strange presence and goes to her attic. Here she begins casting a spell, but is attacked by crows/ravens. Both girls get texts to come home right away. When they get there they discover their mother has fallen from their attic to them patio beneath and is dead.

Three months later the girls are still no-where closer to learning about their mother's death. Mel is angry all the time and Maggie just wants to be a college freshman and join the local sorority.

We are introduced next to Macy Vaughan, Ph.D. She is new to Hilltowne having received a grant and a job offer to work in Hilltowne College's lab. She walks by the Vera Manor and gets a weird feeling. Back in her lab she looks up the house and reads about Marisol's recent death. She visits the sisters that night and shows them an old photograph of Marisol in front of the manor hold a baby. The baby is Macy. Once the girls are in the same house their powers begin to awaken.

What we get next is almost a Cliffe Notes version of the Charmed universe. We meet Harry their Whitelighter who is more Giles than Leo. We encounter a demon dog (like it) and a possessed human with a Supernatural like demon (also a nice touch). The big demon, who I supposed should be obvious, but I'll still keep quiet on, was very cool looking in a White-Walker sort of way.
Loved the Power of Three spell in the end to defeat him (need to go back a try to translate more of their pseudo-Latin later).

The episode ends with the girls all living under the same roof and getting along (I do hope there is a little more tension in the future) and a warning on their Ouija board not to trust Harry.

OK a lot to go over here.

The Vera Book of Shadows looks similar to the Halliwell book for the few seconds we see it. What we do see is a picture of Melinda Warren in the first few pages.

The picture is of the same Melinda Warren of the Original Series.

So are the Vera witches of the same Warren bloodline as the Halliwell witches? Could be. I think it is likely. There are anywhere from 11 to 15 generations of witches since Melinda (oh please let it be 13!).

There are a couple of other lines talking about why these witches are now the Charmed Ones.
The first had me dying, basically, Trump being president is a sign of the Apocalypse! Another sign though has me both concerned and intrigued.

The other sign is the death of many powerful witches. Could the Halliwells all be dead? I would hate to think so and the fans will revolt. BUT...think of the storytelling opportunities here. Think about it. What can be killing the most powerful witches in the world? (The Winchesters?) I have been considering something similar in my War of the Witch Queens.

The prophecy ends with the return of The Source of All Evil. Now Charmed fans know, the Source isn't just a Big Bad. He is the Biggest Big Bad there is or has ever been. He killed Prue! He was only stopped by the Charmed ones, one of his chief lieutenants and his own demonic oracle. Yeah, he is bad news.

So what if this is what is going on here? The Halliwells, or at least most of the most powerful good witches are all dead and now the Vera line must take up the battle? Maybe the Warren line of witches split into what would become the Halliwell lines and the Vera lines of witches? They are cousins in a matter of speaking but have forgotten about each other. Maybe twin witches born to Prudence Warren. One set up the Halliwell line and the other the Vera line. I can see this.

I also would like to point out that the fictional witches of the new Charmed would feel like good allies to the real actors of the old Charmed. I think Mel has quoted Allysa Milano verbatim! Well maybe not, but the feeling is there.

The Verdict?

How do I feel about the new Charmed?

Well for starters I like it. I want to know more about what is going on in this world. Is this the same as the Halliwell's world? If so are they still in it? What is the new Source going to be like? What other NEW things will we see?

For the sisters. Right now Macy is my favorite. I am not just saying that because she has a Ph.D. but because I think she a lot of potential. I could see an episode (and maybe this is because I am a geek) of Macy working on something in her lab and "accidentally" using her powers to move an experiment along and suddenly she is in the spotlight and can't replicate the effects. Now this one would have to be done with a humorous side to it.

All three lead actors are very good. I need to see more of them to form a better opinion, but so far I like all three and think they will grow into their roles nicely.

Harry is interesting, but I am not 100% sold on him yet. Leo I liked right away. Maybe that is the point. Harry is not Leo. Also. He is a Whitelighter, but where are his Orbs? Ah well. Minor thing really.

I am also not blind to the problems. Look I LOVE the politics they have shown so far and if the snark like this keeps up then I am here every week! But I see that it can also be a turn-off for some.

Also, this show hits on all the strengths that made the first Charmed so great. All that is except for one. The Original Charmed knew when to take themselves serious and more important they new when not too. This show needs to make sure it does the same.

Looking back over the "Pilot" and comparing it to "Something Wicca This Way Comes" I see good and bad in both. SWTWC was so raw and the actors were still grabbing on to their parts. But all three were also very seasoned actors (hell, even in her early 20s Allyssa Milano has seen more work than most of her peers combined) so they had an edge. The script to SWTWC was weaker but had elements that pulled you right in. The Pilot for Charmed (2018) knows more about their world, in large part due to the groundwork laid by SWTWC and the next 177 episodes, but also has the advantage of a more stable future than Charmed (1998) did its first season.

The bottom line for me is this: Encounter at Far Point. You can't judge a show by its first episode. Encounter at Far Point for Star Trek the Next Generation was not a good episode. In fact, much of the first season was not good. BUT the groundwork for later, much much better episodes was established here. You can't get a "Best of Both Worlds", "Darmok" unless you wade through "Encounter at Far Point".

I want to see the girls struggle as sisters, as witches, and as college people. But I also want to see them come together. Just like Marisol says "You're better together. Your differences are your strengths and nothing is stronger than your sisterhood." Well said mom.

Also. For the love of broomsticks and pointy hats can we please get more Valerie Cruz on the show? Even as a ghost?

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Over on FX we have American Horror Story Apocalypse, which is I gather a sequel to Season 1 Murder House and Season 3 Coven, or two of my most favorite seasons.

Not to be outdone Netflix is giving not just one show, but two!

First up, and just in time for Halloween is The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina!

And later The Witcher. Heard the drama about the Ciri casting and I really could not care less. As long as the actress is good. I am very curious who they will get for Triss though.

Over on Sci-fi (SyFy i guess) we will get Season 4 of Magicians. Let me tell you, this is one insane show. Think Hogwarts with a lot of sex, a lot of drugs and ... well there is no good way to describe it. Just watch it.

Over in respectable countries we are getting A Discovery of Witches. Based on the books. I have a number of issues with these books, but maybe the TV show can improve on it. I will say this, the casting brilliant.

And lastly, one still looking for a home. Titled, simply enough, Witches.

There is nothing about Batwoman's background that says she has to be white, or black, or Asian, or Algonquin, or Hispanic. There are three things though that immutable about the character.

1. Kate is a Soldier. She lives to serve. Just now she wears the uniform of the Bat.
2. Kate is a Lesbian. Even in her earliest interactions, this is something she knows about herself and we know about her.
3. Kate is Jewish. This informs how she sees life, how she approaches everything she does. The colors of her uniform.

In Comics Dark seems to be the new Black.

The Witching Hour will be a 5-comic arc featuring Wonder Woman, JL Dark and the plot revolves around Hecate and Witches!

Part one, WONDER WOMAN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: THE WITCHING HOUR #1, with art by Jesus Merino, sets the tone for the Wonder Woman-centered event. In this 48-page debut one-shot, Hecate, the witch-goddess of magic, always knew a day would come when the monsters she stole her magic from would return. Now she must activate the Witchmarked, humans within whom she secreted vast stores of power. This hits Justice League Dark especially hard: one of the most powerful of the Witchmarked turns out to be Wonder Woman! WONDER WOMAN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: THE WITCHING HOUR #1 is on sale October 3.

Those aren't tears in my eyes. No. Not at all....Shut up, you're crying.

And just when my poor heart couldn't take anymore.

Holy Shit! Robin just said "Fuck Batman" and that Raven! That is the Raven I have been waiting nearly 38 years to see on my screens. Even Dove and Gar look great.

So yeah. You can have your Infinity Wars and your snappy Thanos (who is a rip-off of Darkseid anyway). I know where my action is going to be this fall.

Amazing Adventures is a really awesome game with a lot of character development and customization built right in. Today I want to just work from the core rulebook and figure out how to add some different quirks to some characters with similar backgrounds.

Jody and Donna are both sheriffs working in the northern part of the Midwest.
Anne/Alex and Clare are both survivors that have turned to less-legal pursuits for hunting monsters. AA gives me the means to get a little more finesse out of these characters.

Anne has two classes to cover the time when she was living bait for a clan of vampires (Socialite) and when she was later hunting and acting out (Hooligan) or as Jody put it, she was not a cheerleader but the one smoking pot under the bleachers.

Anne and Clare would normally by the rules appear to be Hooligans. Anne/Alex starts out as a "Socialite" since that is the closest thing in the rules to "pretty vampire bait". Though she did do all of the things a socialite did for her vampire clan. After she was freed she became every bit the rebellous teen Hooligan that Clare is. Using the rules to swap out powers I took out her "Traps" ability and replaced it with "Medicine" to cover her training as a Nurse. I am thinking that for now she is an LPN, not an RN, so maybe as she gets better I might have to rule of taking out some of her other hooligan abilities that no longer fit.
I also removed her Exalt since she is not running with a vampire clan/nest anymore.

Patience is the easiest one. She is, by any definition I can think of, a 1st level character. She has some skills (she is top student and athlete) but she only has one trick right now and that is her visions. So she is a perfect level 1 Mentalist with very, very minimal customization.

Ok. Now, these are builds I can enjoy and get behind. These would be some kick-ass characters to play. Everything from Patience discovering what her own powers mean and what she can do, to Clare's unresolved anger issues and the new mother/daughter relationship to Jody (who is basically Clare in few more years). Even Anne trying to put the horror of her life behind her to do something normal.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Yesterday I posted the stats the Wayward Sisters for the Supernatural RPG and I had a blast. I always have a lot of fun doing these deep dives into characters. So I figure what the hell.

The next logical choice, of course, is Chill. Even in 1980 Chill was the monster hunter game. Today's 3rd Edition Chill is if anything even more suited for a Supernatural-style game. The changed point of view on magic, The Art, is a good fit to how Supernatural deals with magic.

In truth, I would love to see how something like SAVE would work in the Supernatural universe. I am a huge of fan of Chill and I have been wanting to do a Supernatural / Chill crossover forever. This is really is perfect.

Drive: Discover what the new world is about, how to use my powers and live through it.

Ok. Now, these are builds I can enjoy and get behind. These would be some kick-ass characters to play. Everything from Patience discovering what her own powers mean and what she can do, to Clare's unresolved anger issues and the new mother/daughter relationship to Jody (who is basically Clare in few more years). Even Anne trying to put the horror of her life behind her to do something normal.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Well. A while back I expressed my wants for the upcoming Wayward Sisters Supernatural spin-off. Well, sadly we learned over the weekend that the show was not picked up (Charmed was! but more on that later).

Personally, I think this is a huge mistake and many entertainment news outlets are reporting the same. There is even a petition that gaining steam and buzz asking the network to reconsider. I would consider it a favor if you all could stop by and sign it.https://www.change.org/p/the-cw-save-wayward-sisters

But I am not asking this and expecting not to pay. So here are the Wayward sisters themselves, ready to go for your Supernatural Cortex game, whether they get a show or not.

They are left to right, Sarah Jeffery (Madison), Melonie Diaz (Mel), and Madeleine Mantock (Macy).

I am 100% unapologetic about my love for Charmed. I was a fan early on and enjoyed all 8 seasons. I think one of the reasons you have not seen me post the stats of the Charmed Ones here is because I don't think I could do them justice the way I want. I did stats for the for Semi-Charmed Life, but I want to redo them.
Though one of my most favorite memories of Gen Con is playing Piper in this big Charmed/Buffy/Supernatural crossover. It was so much fun.

The new show is being described as "fierce, funny, feminist," and that is rubbing some people the wrong way.
Not me.
I want it to be in your face feminism. I want them to vanquish demons and douchebags with equal gusto. I want to see alt-right bloggers and Fox News bobble-heads crying because this show is on the air.

Now I know a lot of old fans are also pretty up in arms about this. Not wanting a new series, or wanting a new series but only with the original cast (all four). I get this. But it is not going to happen.
I hate to be blunt but can Allysa Milano and Shannen Doherty even work together any more? And not to be insensitive but Shannen is battling some pretty nasty cancer. She is, by all accounts, keeping her head up high and spirits strong, but could she take on the physical rigors of filming a series again? Plus can Rose McGowan even be in the same room as any of the other three? I follow them all on social media and they are great women and turning into some fierce fighters for rights, but maybe a silly little show about witches is not enough for them now.

So here is to the new cast. I hope they get picked up for the 1st Season and many more after that.
I hope that Macy, Mel, and Madison will soon be as important names to me a Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Currently, the episode is one of the highest rated episodes of Supernatural in a long time and getting nearly universal critical praise. This bodes quite well for the series. Especially a series that will likely inherit the extremely loyal fan base that Supernatural has.

So here are my five wishes for the series.1. Focus on the Family aspect. The characters have all been survivors of various monster attacks and have all stood up in their own ways to those attacks. Each one though lost something in those attacks. Jodie, Clare, and Alex all lost their entire families. Donna lost her innocence and naïveté. Patience lost a very promising future. So each one now looks to this group to help replace what they lost. In Supernatural Sam and Dean have each other, but that is really it. Everyone they have known over the years has died. Well. More or less. This group can be stronger because they all have each other.

2. Don't Forget the differences. Jodie and Donna are both Sheriffs. Clare and Alex both lost their families. It might be what they all have in common that brought them here, it will be their differences that keep the show going. We have seen Jodie be silly and funny. We have seen Donna be serious. So they can play against their "type". Patience as the newest character has the most room for growth.

3. Give us Something New. This show cannot be a distaff Supernatural. It needs its own identity and it's own voice. Jodie isn't going to pack everyone up in her SUV and drive across country. The stories have to be local and therefore more immediate and even intimate. Also. In the course of 13 years, the Winchesters have fought every type of monster there is. Every mythological beast, every horror movie standard, every urban legend. Wayward Sisters needs to give us new things. Sure I 100% expect to see ghosts, vampires, werewolves still AND I would miss them if they weren't there. But this is a chance (and there is even an in-universe justification) to give us more.4. Don't Forget the Music. One of the things that was a huge feature of Supernatural was it's "soundtrack". Classic rock dominated the earliest days of the show. This ran sort of counter to other shows on the WB and then CW at the time which featured new music. Now the show has backed off of the music (disappointment), but that is the result of the producers knowing who their fans really are vs. who they thought they were. Also, and let's be honest, it is cheaper.
One of the things about the WB then was that shows featured all sorts of new music. Wayward Sisters needs to get back to that. The CW is dominated now by Superhero shows and those don't often lend themselves to new music (Black Lightning I hope will be an exception). Wayward Sisters can do this. The mid-season trailer/opening (above) is like a music video for the Halestorm song "I am the Fire". Embracing newer artists like Halestorm, and hopefully, more female artists will be a key factor in giving this show it's own identity and place in the CW lineup.

5. Remember What Made Supernatural Good. Supernatural today is not the same show it was 12 seasons ago or even 6 seasons ago. Somethings worked. Somethings didn't. But there are reasons it is still on the air. Wayward Sisters needs to tap into that as much as they can. Well minus the Sam and Dean part, which is a huge draw. The female audience (who make up a lot of Supernatural's fan base) admittedly like the show for the eye candy (read some of the fan postings on boards sometimes). Eye candy, while that can work here, is not going to have the staying power. So instead the producers need to be conscious of something this time that they only did on accident with Supernatural; attract and keep that female audience. They are going to have to tap into what made Wonder Woman such a success. Strong female characters who are not victims (anymore) and can do the job they need to do. Or to quote the Halestorm song I am the Fire, "I am the one I've been waiting for."

Hopefully we will she this picked up (I am sure it will be) and hope it is good.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Stranger Things 2 is out and many of you may have binge watched it all by now. We just finished this past weekend and thought it was just as good as season 1. The newest character introduced is Maxine "Mad Max" Mayfield a new girl from California. When the boys digress into D&D talk, she makes the statement that she could be a "Zoomer", which gets the predictable results from a bunch of middle schoolers in 1984.

In this world, you have learned there are two types; the quick and the dead. You prefer not to be among the dead. So speed is not just what you do, it is what you are. Get in fast, attack fast and get out fast. Live another day.

QUICK ATTACK
Starting at 3rd level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make an extra attack. Strength bonuses do not apply since you are compromising power for speed.

FAST ON YOUR FEET
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to move faster than normal; Your base speed increases by 50%. So characters that move at 30 ft can now move at 45 ft. Terrain that slows down other characters will still affect you, but based on your new movement rate.

UPPER HAND
At 9th level, you may add +5 to your initiative rolls.

BLUR
Starting at 13th level, you move at twice your base speed. Sneak attacks must still be made at normal movement speed; which is half speed for you.

FASTER THAN THE WIND
When you reach 17th level, you can attack three times per round. These extra attacks ignore any bonuses due to strength.

Obviously, I have not playtested this, but I think it could work out nicely.
What do you think Max?

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Some pairings just work so well that it feels like the universe clicks into place.
This is one of those times.

Carmilla is a web series based on the Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu short story of the same name. Like many (MANY) updates to Carmilla, this takes place in modern times. We have Laura Hollis (played by super cute Elise Bauman) a 19-year-old freshman at Silas University in Styria, Austria. Laura starts a VLog when here roommate Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Spielsdorf goes missing. Laura, a journalism student with an over-protective father, decides to investigate and her suspicions fall squarely on her new roommate, Carmilla Karnstein (played wonderfully by Natasha Negovanlis).

The first season, 36 episodes, covers the relationship between Laura and Carmilla as well as the mystery of all the missing girls. The next two seasons (36 episodes each) cover other issues facing the often tormented students of Silas University. Including fighting the Faerie Queen Titania, the Deep One Dagon, oh and getting in the middle of a 3 millennia-old war between Inanna and Ereshkigal. Fun times.

The writing is witty. It is a geek-filled romp with plenty of nerdy pop cultural references. I wanted to die every time I saw Laura drink out of her TARDIS cup. And these were not just fan-service nods these were legitimate geek moments.
The acting is great and the chemistry between the two leads is some of the best I have seen in a long, long time. They are in another series together by the same creators but as different characters. I have to admit I am little hesitant to watch it less I ruin the good juju of them as Carmilla and Laura.

I missed the whole fandom that surrounded this show and that is my loss. The fans, the "Creampuffs", seem like a great community. The creators of the show know what the fans mean to them and it feels like a great relationship.

But that's not why YOU are here, is it?

Carmilla is pretty much in every sense of the term the spiritual successor to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So it stands to reason then that the cast should get the Buffy RPG treatment.

Friday, March 3, 2017

On Friday's I have been watching and enjoying more, more the new series on NBC "Emerald City". It is yet another re-telling of the Wizard of Oz story. As you can imagine I am a HUGE fan of Mistress West aka The Wicked Witch of the West played by Ana Ularu.

Mistress of the Western Fields, Vessel of Truth and Solace, Wicked Witch of the West
(though one wonders if Fairuza Balk was unavailable)

What I have been really enjoying is the conlang, Inha, the language spoken by all the witches in Oz.
You can read more about that here and check out the website of the creator David J. Peterson who also created Dothraki.

All witches in Oz are born knowing this language. There are for variants (fire-south, wind-east, stone-north, water-west) but all witches understand it naturally.

I love this idea. In my own games I never quite took it this far, but I have always played it that all witches can recognize another witch instantly.

This got me thinking about magical languages in RPGs.
In the real world the written word of magic was always held by the scholars and the clergy. So predominantly in Latin. Most of the books in the Western tradition of magic were in Latin with some other in Arabic and Hebrew. In D&D the obvious choices for magical languages are Draconic and Elvish. In my own games, I have used Irish Gaelic as the language of "faerie magic".

Witches though would not have a learned language like these. All their writings, when written at all, would be in their own native languages. But the idea of a language they are all born knowing is a very, very compelling on to me.
Personally, I like to think that witches have more in common with each other regardless of alignment than say a witch and a wizard of the same alignment. This could be my biases showing. Very likely it is. What really unites a people is language.

While in game design terms I could justify a "Witch language", after all Druids and Theives have their own languages, I don't think I will. If I did I would also give all wizards the draconic language for free. In fact there is MORE reason to do that. Hmm. Ok. From now on all Wizards get "Auld High Wyrmish" (can you tell I have been reading a lot of old Dragons lately) for free. This gives them a chance to speak Draconic.

Now one thing I can justify is giving the Sisters of the Aquarian Order their own language.
They start to train girls at a very young age, they have their own planet and history. A history that goes back thousands of years or more.